PTDF Interviews Over 1,000 Shortlisted Candidates For In-Country Scholarship
By Sunday Etuka, Abuja
No fewer than 1,643 Nigerians shortlisted for the award of Masters (Msc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the 2023/2024 In-country Scholarship Scheme (ISS) of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) have been successfully interviewed.
The PTDF ISS is an annual scholarship programme for MSc and PhD studies, designed to build capacity for the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
Addressing journalists on Monday during the interview exercise in Abuja, the Head In-Country Scholarship Scheme, PTDF, Surajo Abdullahi Farai, said the interview exercise was held simultaneously across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
He revealed that of the 1,643 shortlisted candidates for the scheme, 387 of them for the North-Central geopolitical zone were interviewed at the PTDF Tower in Abuja.
He explained that the purpose of the programme was to provide Nigerian students with the intellectual foundation and skillset needed to participate actively in the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
“One of the mandates of PTDF is to develop capacity and competencies in the oil and gas industry. We have two ways of developing the capacity: we have human and institutional capacity development. This is part of human capacity development where we give Nigerian candidates opportunities to study in the area of oil and gas because of the gap in the industry. So, we normally sponsor them to go and study oil and gas-related courses so as to fill up the gap,” he said.
While noting that successful candidates would be selected based on management approval, Farai said the candidates would be trained in all the public universities in the country, both federal and state.
Speaking on the criteria for meriting the award, he said, “The person must be a Nigerian, must apply, and undergo all the screening processes, including computer screening, staff screening, and consultative screening to ensure transparency.
“They must have NYSC certificates and undergo the interview process. We invite panellists from different Nigerian universities and other industries in the country to interview them and get the best for the scholarship in engineering, geosciences, environment and management, and computing,” he said.
On transparency, he said, “The process is transparent because the panellists are professors and doctors drawn from Nigerian universities based on areas of specialisation. So we expect them to be transparent. We also use our consultants to go through their credentials to ensure transparency.”
Also speaking, a Commissioner in the Federal Character Commission, representing Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku Bunu, said that Federal Character consideration was duly followed in the exercise.
“The agency has invited us to come and monitor the exercise because it is our mandate, and we are here to ensure that fairness and equity are effected in the entire exercise,” he said.
On how it was achieved, he explained: “Candidates normally apply. When they apply, they are screened. Merit is the key word. Apart from that, we look at the states of the federation and how it will be balanced. No state is left behind.
“The credentials of the candidates speak for themselves. After that, there is a formal interview whereby the candidates will be listened to, asked questions, and their responses will be taken into account. In these ways, we will achieve fairness and equity. Our staff are in all the venues across the country to monitor the exercise,” he said.
One of the shortlisted candidates for PhD award from Gboko, Benue State, Mr. Tertsea Ishegh Vandeyoon, said, “The experience has been so wonderful. The panellists were very considerate. And they have all the technical expertise to ask the questions.
“I don’t see the process to be manipulative at all. In fact, the panellists were extremely professional. They asked very technical questions, and by the grace of God, I was able to meet their expectations,” he said.
